Many people may view sensitivity as a negative…you might feel overwhelmed by other people, emotion, energy. You might feel scattered, out-of-sorts, and unsure of what you are really feeling. For many sensitive souls, when you were little, you may have heard others say things like…

“Toughen up.”

“You are too sensitive.”

“You need to calm down.”

I am here to tell you, as a fellow sensitive soul wandering this earth, that being sensitive is a gift! It is something you should value and explore as part of the fabric of what makes you, YOU! That being said, when we are more sensitive, it can be tougher to negotiate energy and emotion. You might feel like you are absorbing other people’s “stuff” and that being in certain situations is just too much. There are ways to manage your sensitivity…ways to ensure your energy and emotional fields stay clear so you can tap into your truth and the power of your own emotions. Here are some of my go-tos for “clearing out” and staying centred:

1. I wash my hands or take a shower. The act of cleansing with water can be powerful! When I am either washing my hands or taking a shower, I say a little mantra to myself – “Only good energy is welcome here.” This act of washing with water is a little ritual that enables me to take some time for myself, nature myself, and the mantra helps me to focus on what is happening in my system…as opposed to fixating on what is happening around.

2. Holding or gazing into a clear quartz stone. I have a small one that I will sometimes carry with me. They carry a high vibrational energy and I will simply hold it in my hands or gaze into it. These crystals are typically associated with healing and the higher chakra systems in the body including throat, third eye, and crown chakras.

3. Lighting candles, smudging with sage, or clapping/drumming. We can clear the energy of our space and body using different tools. Lighting clear-burning candles can immediately bring a cleansing energy to a space. Fire is associated with “burning out” of the old and negative energies that no longer serve us. We can offer up what we no longer want into the flame either verbally, or by burning words that we’ve written on paper. Smudging a space with sage can be helpful in cleaning out toxic energy from the space and inviting in good energy. You can also smudge yourself! When I go to a hotel room or enter a new space, I can sometimes feel residual energy from whoever was there before me. If I don’t have candles or sage, I will go around the room clapping or reciting mantras. Drumming can be a powerful way to clear out energy as well.

4. Mantras. One way to remove blockages or obstacles is to recite mantras. You can come up with a saying that is all yours, or use one created by someone else. The mantra for Ganesha, “Om Gam Ganapataye Namaha” is a particularly useful one when removing barriers. Another is a mantra for Kali, which can be used for awakening and purification. The mantra is “Krim” [“kreem”]. As with any mantra, use these with care as they are incredibly powerful. I recommend repeating them 108 times and then sitting in stillness, allowing the vibration of the mantra to reverberate through your body and the space.

5. I meditate or just sit quietly without distraction. One of the easiest ways to centre and ground, especially when we are feeling overwhelmed, is to simply sit in silence. Allow yourself to become fully present with yourself. These meditation moments can be simple – even meditating for one minute can have a profound impact on your nervous system!

Embrace your sensitivity…know you can manage it. Remember that this enhanced awareness is a gift that allows you to tune into others, but even more importantly, allows you to tune into yourself!

I was having coffee with an acquaintance of mine recently and I was commenting that since moving to our new city, I haven’t been connecting to any kind of community here (mainly due to the fact that I haven’t had my feet on the ground here long enough!). I noted that it seems to get harder as we get older, especially for those of us living more nomadic forms of existence on this planet.

It can be challenging to make a true connection with someone, especially when you are new to an area. For a while, I was finding the 30-second conversations with the barista at my local coffee shop on the corner to be the most engaging part of my day!

That being said, efforts must be made to connect, because we as humans are designed to connect to one another. Our bodies crave conversation, support, and laughter. Even for those of us who are the most introverted need a little face time every now and then to feel that sense of belonging to something bigger. Ever wonder why acro-yoga is just so. much. FUN?

And, that’s why I love yoga communities.

When we live yoga, we find community and connection everywhere. We feel it, whether it is connecting to a post or picture online, walking into a studio for a class, or attending a workshop or festival. We feel it when we make eye contact with others on the street or when we make eye contact with ourselves in the mirror in the morning. We feel it when we take time to really listen to our loved ones and when we tell others our story.

Our community is within us and outside of us. It is everywhere – this energetic fabric that ensures we are never alone and that we always have a space where we belong.

Yoga has shown up for me in some random ways since the beginning of the year…it IS the 30-second conversation with my barista and the way the little birds gather together in community in the tree out front of our building. It is being invited to a friend’s house for a meal and conversation just as much as it is when I work from home and update social media. It is the walks I take in our neighbourhood to absorb nature and the walks through our market to pick out produce. Our yoga community is in all of these wonderful and unexpected places.

We just have to remember to look for it and know that we are an integral piece of our community.

Speaking of community…

Join me on the mat Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Dragon Arts Collective, a community of healers, teachers, and all-around awesome human beings who are trying to make the world a better place! My classes here are donation based. For more information, click here!

I’ll also be joining the yoga community at the upcoming Prairie Love Yoga Festival in September! I’ll be talking about yoga and social activism while connecting with you on the mat! For more details and to register, click here!

There is something magical about getting into nature…connecting to the big sky, feeling the earth underfoot and finding limits that are unseen within the confines of four walls of your home or hotel room. We love camping, hiking and exploring and Abbot Pass was the perfect fit.

Now, when hiking, I can go uphill all day long. I love the feeling of summiting a space, pulling myself against gravity and finding joy in the climb and ascent. But, as we know, what goes up, must come down…and that downhill descent strikes fear into me like nothing else. There is something unsettling that occurs when the front part of my body faces forward and I must step down. When descending Abbot Pass, making your way toward Lake Oesa, you can feel as though you are literally stepping out into open space.

Add to that two days of fresh snowfall, gusting wind and a giant scree slope and you’ve got one terrified Heather on your hands.

That being said, I knew there was no other way down. I had to face my fear and fully accept that I…could…do…this. It might take a long time, there might be some tears involved (ahem), but I was going to make it down that mountain.

I slipped, I slid, I lost control, I regained control. I dug my heels in, I took one step at a time. I gritted my teeth and took deep breaths. I allowed myself to cry and yell at myself and also to comfort myself with protection mantras that I repeated over and over in my head. I relied on the footsteps others carved out in front of me and I listened attentively as my husband guided me…one step at a time…over snow, ice and scree.

When we finally made it down…I took a moment to assess what we had done and discovered that I was proud of myself for conquering my fear of the downhill.

Fear is no small thing. It has the ability to take over and keep us from a variety of experiences. Whether it is summiting a mountain or flying in Bakasana, our brains on fear can play games with how we react physically, mentally and emotionally in a variety of situations. I recently read this amazing post on fear by David Cain on Raptitude. He talks about how fear can make us perceive all the negative outcomes, while prohibiting us from entertaining the positive ones. In addition, he notes that the majority of the time, when we actually do take the risk and overcome fear, those negative outcomes don’t actually manifest themselves. Instead, we find that the outcome has provided us with a learning opportunity, with a chance to see that we CAN do the things we set out to do with little negative reaction.

Abbot Pass taught me a lot about the power of fear in my own life and how powerful that emotional state can be. Not all fear is bad…we do need it, but knowing when we need it and when we don’t is half the battle.

So go summit that mountain, strike out on that adventure or fly in Bakasana. It just might turn out better than you ever expected. I know my experience did!

Namaste,

Heather

ps. Fun fact about me – I also harbour a massive fear of worms. As in, the worms that come out on the sidewalk during a rainstorm or the ones you find as you tend your garden. My husband asked which fear was worse…the downhill or worms. Worms win.

pps. Not that they will ever read this, but to the six gentlemen we shared the hut with…you are inspirational. Thanks for digging in your heels and charting a path to follow.

I returned last night from a two-and-a-half week sprint through the United States to visit family and friends. My travels took me to Illinois, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Georgia, Washington D.C. and then home to Canada again. It was such an amazing time and a great reminder of the support system I have.

When we make big leaps in our lives, it is always good to know you have people on your side! I am so incredibly blessed to have family and friends who care and support me…who never questioned my decision to leave my job and become a yoga instructor.

They are there to remind me, particularly during my times of panic about this decision, that all I need to do is just smile and breathe. That it will all work out the way it is supposed to.